Clarity
by SparkDreams
Summary: The end is near, my dear, we're all mad here.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Z.**

It's raining. I stare blankly at the drops of water racing sideways across the window, gathering on the edge in pools before spilling down or being swept away with the wind. The trees outside all meld together into one big blur of green and brown, that's all I've seen for the last hour. My mother has the heater on full blast, I try to turn it down but she swats my hand away.

"You know I don't like the cold." It's the first thing she's said the entire four hour drive.

"Fine." I lean into the door, pressing my cheek against the cool window and close my eyes. I hear my mother suck in her breath. I know she wants to say something, but I keep my eyes shut.

After what feels like ages, she finally sputters out, "I really didn't want it to come to this, but you've left me no other choice."

My eyes fly open, I feel the fire rising up inside of me but I clench my teeth and stay silent.

"You can get the help here that you need, it will be good for you. It will be good for all of us. There are doctors here that are specially trained to work with people like you. You'll meet lots of nice people, maybe there will be some girls your age you can be friends with while you're there. I'm sure everyone will be just absolutely lovely."

The anger boils up and I can't help it, "Absolutely lovely? What the hell do you think this place is? It's not some kind of vacation, it's a freaking psych ward! The only people there will be crazy! I'm not insane, you just want to get rid of me!"

"Zelda! I don't want to do this, I have to! This is a hospital for sick people like you! And I'm sure you will have a wonderful time, there are gardens and a swimming pool, I hear they go hiking when the weather is nice. There's group music sessions and art, the food is apparently sublime as well. The house is even a converted Victorian mansion." I block out her robotic voice as she lists off the other oh-so-fabulous points she memorized from the brochure.

Lovely, sublime. She wasn't always like this, I remember there was a time when she would have snickered at people who used those sorts of words. She smiled a lot more then too, and not the smiles she has now. The perfectly polished straight white teeth highlighted by her carefully painted red lips, a frozen Barbie doll smile to match her dead eyes and bottle blonde hair. Every so often, I do see a flicker of her old self, but it never lasts long. Besides, real smiles give you wrinkles, and mother's husband will be damned if any wife of his looks anything less than perfect.

She rambles on and on about what an exquisite/charming/splendid/simply delightful place it is. What a grand experience it will be/how much I will broaden my intellect/how I will experience different cultures. I'm sure. The only grand experience I will have is sitting in a padded room wrapped in a straight jacket. The freaks in this place will surely broaden my intellect with their wild tales of insanity as they drool and are hand fed by some high school dropout orderly who only took this job to feed his crack addiction. And I know I will definitely experience some new cultures when I can talk my way free and finally escape the control of my mother. Where will I go first? The east coast, I hear it's nice. Eventually I'll find my way out of the country. I'll just disappear. They'll never find me.

My mother buzzes on stupidly until we approach a rusted iron gate encased by a stone wall that's at least twelve feet high. Chains of electric barbed wires top the wall and metal poles stick up holding security cameras every few yards. As if anyone would be stupid enough to try to escape that way. These places are built for those types of desperate, impulsive actions. The sharp mind is the only thing that will save you here. And since my mother belongs here much more than I do, I know my stay here will be short.

My mother leans out the window, using one of her air-head beauty magazines to protect her perfectly coifed hair from the rain as she presses a tiny red button on an intercom, "Hello? Yes, I'm here to deliver my daughter, Zelda. They're expecting her."

"_Yes, we will open the gates immediately. Please proceed up the road to our visitors parking lot. Thank you, ma'am." _A static-y yet clearly bored voice instructs.

As the car rolls slowly forward, my mother tentatively reaches over and places her hand on my shoulder. I flinch and she quickly pulls away. She huffs a deep breath, but doesn't say anything. She parks next to a huge mansion, we sit in silence as we stare up at the "hospital" where I will be staying. I have to admit, it is pretty impressive. It looks to be straight out of a scary movie, one where a group of friends would go to spend the night in on a dare and then one by one they would each be slaughtered in some horrific, grisly way. Maybe one would have his stomach ripped out by steel hooks, another would be boiled alive in oil, her skin and flesh bubbling away as she screams for mercy. Then, just before sunrise it would be the main girl and her boyfriend left alive. You might think that they would escape a terrible fate and live happily ever after, but then it would turn out that the boyfriend was the killer all along. The last scene would be him whistling cheerfully as he strolled away from the mansion, the gutted remains of the others hidden neatly under the floorboards.

Finally, I open the door and step out as my mother pops the trunk. I drag out my suitcase and backpack and make my way up the pathway leading to the mansion. My mother clears her throat. I pause and turn around. She's standing at the end of the walk with an odd look on her face. My own face softens when I realize it's my mom. Not the pearl-wearing, cappuccino-drinking stranger I've been living with for the past six years, but my mom who laughed and hugged and loved me as much as I loved her. In that instant my walls come down and I feel the tears welling up in my eyes.

I step forward, longing to feel safe in her arms for a moment again, but then she opens her mouth, "Be good, they can fix you."

The love rushes out of my body as quickly as it came. My heart turns to ice and my face to stone.

"Fix this!" I shout hoarsely as I throw up my middle finger, then turn and stomp up the rest of the walk.

_Dark, I know. But I hope you enjoyed anyway! Constructive criticism is always appreciated :)_

_Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Z.**

The hands on the clock tick noiselessly. The thick crimson curtains are pulled tightly over the window, blocking out the rain. The woman behind the desk in a high-backed chair sits with her hands folded in front of her, staring at me expectantly. I shift uncomfortably in my stiff wooden chair. The room is completely silent. I have gone deaf. Maybe it's my body's own defense mechanism, my hearing was lost so I would not be able to hear the agonizing screams coming from within the walls of this place, drowning out the sounds of my very near future with blissful silence. First my hearing, then my sense of touch so as not to feel the horrific atrocities that will be performed on by body. Then my nose will shut out any smells, blocking the odor of my own rotting flesh. Finally my sight, shielding me from the terrible acts that are going on all around me.

The only thing I will be left with will be my voice. They will do everything in their power to stop it, they will try desperately to break me. But will I give in? No. With sightless eyes and unhearing ears and untouchable skin I laugh in their faces. It will be stronger than ever, it will save me from this nightmare.

"Zelda, while we want you to have a comfortable experience with us, you must understand that this is a process." So sound does exist, my body has betrayed me. The simple-minded woman, the head nurse as her nameplate suggests, gently nudges her glasses higher up her nose and smiles, "If we work together and you are cooperative, we will achieve the best results. But, if you choose not to, I must warn you that a firmer approach will be taken."

_Cooperation. You want to control me, you mean. Just like my mother. I won't give in to you._

"Of course. I won't be any trouble, I want this to be as quick and painless as possible." She takes my crocodile smile as a sweet and innocent grin.

"Wonderful. You must understand, however, that this may take time."

"Yes, Nurse Daisy. Will I be meeting the doctor soon?"

_So I can finally explain to someone with more than half a brain that I don't belong here._

The nurse glances down at her clipboard, tracing the lines of scribble with her fingertip. "You will meet with Dr. Mario in three days."

Dr. Mario sounds more like a clown at a six year old's birthday party. With a painted on smile and fake hair. I snicker, who needs a clown when my mother's around? But three days? I have to spend three whole days surrounded by lunatics!

I take a deep breath, "Is there any way I could possibly see the doctor sooner?" I give my best little girl smile.

"I'm sorry, he is a very busy man. Three days is the soonest available time. Besides, it will give you just enough time to settle in." The nurse stands and picks up my suitcase, "Now follow me, I'll show you to your room."

I grit my teeth and follow her, hefting my backpack over my shoulder. We walk down a few flights of stairs and into an empty white hallway. About halfway down she stops in front of a door. Room 13. Of course. Opening the door reveals two cots, two desks, two wardrobes. One half of the room is already taken, the bed neatly made, a sky blue blanket laid smoothly over it. Two stuffed teddy bears sit side by side against the pillows. I see the edge of a red journal poking out from beneath the pillow. A stack of books sits on the desk next to a small lamp and a cup of crayons. My desk has the same lamp, the same crayons. I set my backpack on my bed and turn to the nurse.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, I'll just get to unpacking now," I say sweetly and glance towards the door.

Nurse Daisy smiles and drops my suitcase onto the bed and unzips. I step forward, about to protest, "It's policy that we go through your things, just to be safe."

I sigh, but I don't stop her. It would be pointless to try. Besides, it would also ruin my good-girl act, we can't have that now, can we? I open up my backpack and dump the contents onto the bed. She sifts through my things, picking up random items and tucking them into a canvas bag. My scarves, hair clips, mouthwash. Then she closes her fingers around my bundle of pens secured together with a rubber band.

"Wait, I need those!" I say as I reach towards them, but she slips them into her bag.

"I'm sorry, dear, but until you've proved that you can be trusted with such items, I'll have to keep them. There's crayons on the desk you can use until then."

_What kind of idiot can't be trusted with a pen?_

That's when I notice the crayons on the other desk. They're worn down and the paper wrapping has been peeled back, they're maybe half the size of what they were originally. Oh. My roommate, apparently.

I step back and watch her poke through the rest of my stuff until she finally seems satisfied. "Well, it looks like that's everything. I'll leave you to unpack your things. I'll be back in an hour, just before dinner to show you around and introduce you to your roommate."

"Thank you, Nurse Daisy." I smile as she steps outside and shuts the door behind her.

_Thank god._

Finally, a moment to myself. I feel like some kind of animal. Trapped in a cage full of watchful eyes. I look down at my things, my precious belongings, all I have left of the real world. I want to take them and throw them across the room. To rip up the blankets and split the mattresses. To kick down the wardrobe and claw deep trenches over the walls. To scream with everything I have and run. But I don't. Instead I carefully shake out the wrinkles in my clothes and hang them in the wardrobe. I pile my books neatly on the desk and spread my purple blanket over the bed, taking care to straighten the corners and smooth out the creases.

I'll play their game, because I intend to win.

I sit at the desk chair and wait patiently for the nurse to return. When she does she holds some folded clothes in her arms.

"I see you're all settled. I have your clothes here, if you could just put them on and we'll be on our way." She sets them down in front of me.

I look up at her, confused, "But I'm already wearing clothes?"

"I can see that, but it's policy that all newcomers wear these for the first week."

"Fine." She steps outside as I strip off my clothes and reach towards the pile. A white t-shirt, faded blue pajama pants and a striped blue and white robe.

_You have got to be kidding me. _

I shrug the robe on and realize there is no tie at the waist. They really do take every precaution here, don't they?

I open the door and the nurse smiles as she motions for me to follow. She leads me down the rest of the hall to a large room full of couches and tables, a few bookshelves, three small t.v. sets sit each on a different wall. There is also a brick fireplace, but I can tell that it hasn't seen any actual fire in a long time.

Nurse Daisy sweeps her arm out in a grand gesture, "This is the lounge. You will spend most of your time out here when you're not eating or in a session. Since you're only in stage one, you will have to stay on the left side of the room. That is the girl's section. When you get to stage two, you'll be able to sit in the co-ed section in the middle."

"Stage one?" I ask.

"Yes, that is the introductory stage. If you're well behaved, you can move on into stage two in a week or so."

I nod my head and follow her again as she turns and continues dow the hall. We walk up a flight of stairs and I hear the buzz of conversation, we must be near the cafeteria.

As I expected, we round a corner and she opens the door to a room full of people. It's not what I had expected. Most of the people inside look normal, there are only a few that look out of sorts. Almost all of them wear normal clothes, but there are also many in pajamas and a few wearing the same robe set as I am. They all stare at me, I avoid eye contact and bow my head as Nurse Daisy leads me to the line of patients waiting for food. A wilted salad, some grey-looking chicken pieces in sauce, a semi-stale dinner roll. Sublime, just as my mother said it would be.

Finally, Nurse Daisy leads me to a table where a lone girl sits. Her long, scraggly blond hair is tied in a messy braid, but several strands still hang in her face. She peers up at me with large eyes. I stumble backwards and almost trip, the nurse places a firm had on my back. The girl's iris' are a dark blood red. She hunches over and lets her hair fall to cover her eyes, she looks ashamed. She's wrapped in a humongous creamy-colored knitted sweater, she hugs her arms around herself and presses her lips tightly together.

"Now, say hello, dear. This is your new roommate, Zelda." Nurse Daisy gently places a hand on the girl's shoulder and looks at me expectantly. I give a slight wave and slowly sit down in the chair across from her. "Well, Zelda, this is Sheik. I'm sure you two will get along fine."

_Sheik. Freak. _

The nurse turns and walks away. Sheik glances up at me through her blond bangs. "Hi." she whispers so softly that anyone other than myself wouldn't have heard at all. She slumps her shoulders and focuses on her plate as she begins eating. Every so often she looks shyly up at me then jerks her head back down when she see's that I'm still watching her. I can't help it, I can't stop staring at those eyes.

Finally, I tear away and look down at my plate. I grimace as I take the first mouthful. It tastes like dread and not enough salt. They're probably trying to fatten me up, dumb me down so I can never escape. I'm stronger than that, I deliberately take a large mouthful so the ever so watchful eyes will see. They'll think I'm doing what they want, and in a way, I am. But by letting them control me, without putting up a visible fight, I will have the upper hand. A smile creeps up on my face, I want to laugh, but I settle for a soft sigh.

By chance, I glance up, and lock eyes with a boy sitting across the room.

_Thank you so much for reading and the reviews! They make me sooo happy! I promise I'll respond to those as soon as I can, I just want to get this up soon as I am rather excited about this story :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi guys! Sorry this took so long to update, but I'm hopefully gonna be around a lot more often! To clear up any confusion before you start reading, the POV of this chapter is different from the last two. Thanks to all who read and review, enjoy! :)_

**Chapter Three**

**M.**

"_You're nothing."_

Why can't I ever sleep? I never could even before I was shipped off to this fucked up place, no matter how tired I am, for some reason I can never just let myself fall asleep. On average I get about four hours a night, five if I'm lucky. And those four hours are always racing, raging, running. Never restful, I haven't felt that in a long time. I could take the pills I get from the idiot orderlies every night, but that would be surrendering. I roll over and glance at the clock. 5:57, the nurses will be knocking down our doors soon anyway, I might as well just get up. I rub my eyes with my fists, they feel dry. I know that when I finally examine myself in the crowded bathroom mirror I'll have the same deep blue bags. Two bruises that never seem to fade.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and push myself up. For a moment, I lean my elbows against my knees and rest my face in my hands. The ends of my hair just brushing my fingers. I block out the world, focus only on the steady rush of air filling my lungs, then flowing smoothly back out. This is my favorite time of day, before all the other lowlifes wake up and remind me where I am, who I am, what I am. In this small instant, I am nothing but a human being, not the robot I am during the day. One minute of peace.

A banging on the door brings me back, it swings open and a face pokes in. "Time to wake up! Oh, Marth! Up early as always, I see! Roy, on the other hand, would sleep all day if we'd let him!"

"Yup, I guess some things'll never change." I answer wryly, my voice is husky from lack of sleep. I cough as I stand and rip the blankets off of my snoring roommate.

"No! Hey!" Roy jerks awake and tries unsuccessfully to pull them back.

The nurse tries to keep her voice firm, but a small chuckle betrays her, "Now, now. Was that really necessary?"

I give her a half smile and a small shrug. A wink from me causes her cheeks to redden as she tries to hide the smile from spreading over her lips. If only the doctors were so easy to play.

Roy continues to grumble as I shuffle over to my wardrobe to get dressed. A pair of jeans and a dark blue hoodie. Pretty much what I wear every day, because in a place like this, who really gives a shit? I leave Roy as he finally drags himself out of bed and head to the bathroom. Once there I keep my eyes down as I brush my teeth. Closing my eyes, I splash my face with cold water. I finally raise my glance and catch my reflection in the mirror. As I suspected, twin shadows rest under my clouded indigo eyes. They're enhanced even more by my stupid, shaggy blue hair. Why couldn't I have been born with a less attention grabbing color?

Back in my room, I throw myself onto my bed and stare at the ceiling until Roy comes back from the bathroom. Since he takes forever to pick out what to wear from his extensive selection of six t-shirts, he beats the morning rush and ends up having to stand around for a good fifteen minutes before getting an available sink. Watching this kid take care of his teeth is really something else. Both his parents were dentists so he goes all out, brush, mouthwash, then carefully flossing each tooth. He probably would have been a good dentist, too, if he wasn't such a pyro. Now he'll probably be stuck as some kind of telemarketer if he's lucky, a janitor if not.

I start to doze, drifting into a fuzzy state. Everything is warm here, my mind wanders into space and my eyes sink shut...

My eyes snap back open and I jolt up as something wraps around my face. I throw the towel back at Roy and stretch as I stand back up.

"That's for the wake up!" Roy laughs as he walks out the door. I roll my eyes and shake my head but can't stop the grin as I follow him to the cafeteria for another disappointing breakfast. In the four months that I've been here, the best meal I've had was only half decent. It's like they think forcing us to shovel down food a starving dog would turn away from will shock us into normal.

Everything's so routine here. Day in, day out. And it's all crap. Most of the "success stories" they send out of here end up back here or in prison. Some of them even just quit altogether and finish the jobs themselves. But that won't be me. I'm going to make something out of myself.

After a stimulating morning of group therapy, it's back to the cafeteria. Some poor excuse for chicken is being served. I get a plateful of this garbage and Roy waves me over to his table. Sitting around him are the individuals who have somehow grown to become my friends. I never thought I would ever become friends with anyone while I was here, but I was wrong. All of them are flawed, some more than others, but then again, I'm nowhere near perfect.

"Maybe she tried to off herself. No, she's too cute for that. Maybe she tried to kill someone else!" Roy said excitedly.

"She's probably just another rich kid who didn't get the perfect sweet sixteen. Acts sad for one day and her parents suddenly think she's depressed," says the pretty blonde in a pink dress. "Or maybe she's a starver, but she's obviously not very good at it." With a small condescending smile, she takes a sip of her water.

"Nah, 'cause we all know you're the expert on that, aren't you Peach?" I shoot back. Peach slams her cup down and glares at me. "So who're we talking about?"

The other blonde sitting next to me, Samus, gestures with her chin across the room, "New girl, she's rooming with Sheik. I think her name's Zelda."

Through the crowd of people, she's not hard to find. She's wearing the standard welcome robe, resting her chin in her hand and poking at her food with a fork. Sheik cowers across from her, trying to make herself look as small as possible. For a psycho, she's pretty good looking. Her long chestnut hair is pulled away from her face, showing off her high cheekbones and ski slope nose. She keeps her eyes downward, pursing her lips slightly.

"Damn, she's not bad." I can't help it. I may be in a crazy house, but I'm still a guy.

Samus tosses her long hair over her shoulder and leans forward, laces her fingers and rests her chin on them. "So, which way do you think she swings?"

Raising one eyebrow, I nudge Samus with my shoulder, "Sam, just because you'll bang anything that moves, doesn't mean she will. She looks like a girl with standards."

She grins then bites her lip, "Oh I have standards, and when we get outta here I'll show you just how high they are."

I roll my eyes and laugh, "Any time, babe. Maybe we can even get her to join us."

Ike, not the brightest, but definitely the brawniest guy in this place, raises one arm and pretends to stretch. He flexes, trying to catch Zelda's eye with his muscles. "Keep it in your pants, you two. We all know she's gonna be all over me!"

"What pigs," Peach scoffs. "She's probably a prude, anyway."

As they continue to argue over who has the most game, which is obviously me but Sam is a close second, I can't stop looking at her. I swear I'm not usually this much of a creep, I'm really not. But for some reason, I just can't keep my eyes off her.

Suddenly, she looks up and looks right at me. Her eyes are a shocking, electric purple. Hiding my surprise, I give her a half smile and tear my eyes away.


	4. Chapter 4

_Guess who's back, back again! SparkDreams is back, tell a friend! And hopefully actually staying around for awhile! _

**Chapter Four**

**Z.**

He probably murdered his whole family. They found him standing in a pool of their blood, a cleaver in one hand and a katana in the other. Laughing as he watched the blood drip down the blades. Or maybe he's a schizo, demons fill his head telling him to sacrifice animals and revealing hidden conspiracies the government so neatly tucks away. I think he was a drug addict. Shooting up in back alleys and hanging out in crack houses. The dark circles under his eyes definitely look like something that a drug addict would have. I hear people do disgusting things to get their hands on smack. Between bowls and the skin pipe I wonder which he has smoked more.

I definitely do not think he's cute.

"Who's that blue-haired guy?" I ask Freak. Timidly, she turns her head to follow my pointed glare across the crowded room. She squeaked and whirled back to face me.

Freak stares down at her hands but her ruby eyes keep fluttering up to meet mine for a split second before breaking our gaze to look back at her clenched hands. She opens her mouth to speak so softly I have to lean in to hear, "That's Marth."

Marth. Why do people have such weird names here? "What about the others? Ginger, meathead, and the blonde skanks?"

For a second the ghost of a smile crosses Freak's face and her eyes crinkle at the beginning of a laugh. But then she pushes the urge away and solemnly answers, "They're Roy, Ike, Samus, and Peach. Peach is the one in the pink. She always wears pink."

I frown as I survey their table. "She doesn't look very peachy to me."

I almost make another comment, but then I remember the eyes. The eyes that are always watching, peeking out from the walls and on the tables, maybe even peering down my throat from the tip of my fork. Scanning the room, I wonder which are spies and which are actual patients. For all I know, Freak could be a spy, her red eyes are actually cameras. My mother and the doctors watching my every move. So I must be careful, I must make them see what I want them to see.

I push myself away from the table and pick up my empty plate and smile warmly as I offer to take Freak's as well. I dump them into the used bin and make my way out the door, I have my first group therapy session in a few minutes. Walking down the hall, I hear the light patter of footsteps behind me. I turn to see Freak frozen like a deer in the headlights, I gesture for her to join me and she scurried over to my side, she is wearing slippers. Someone shoot me if I ever become such a pathetic lamb as she is. I was meant to be a lion.

"Group?" I ask and she wordlessly nods. We walk together in silence. She keeps her arms hugged tightly around her, if she lets go she might just disappear. Her paper skin and pale blond hair will fade into a glittering mist as passerby carelessly step through it, never taking a moment to think of the girl that once was. Only her blood red eyes will remain, dim in the shadows, watching the world.

We arrive at the group therapy room, it's spacious and well lit with a circle of chairs in the center. Straight out of a god damn movie. I recognize the picture from the pamphlet my mother shoved down my throat. They have these rooms to show so no one will ever have to find out about the torture chambers in the basement.

A pale, middle aged man in an itchy-looking blue woolen sweater and khakis sits in one of the chairs of the circle with his legs crossed and a clipboard on his lap. He pushes his glasses up his nose as he turns to greet us, "Hello Sheik, this must be your new roommate," he flips through some papers looking flustered. "I'm sorry, Zevra, was it?"

"Zelda." I answer curtly, but I at least attempt a smile.

"My apologies, Zelda. Please, have a seat. I am Doctor Hand and I will be guiding you and your peers in our group therapy sessions." He gestures to the chairs and I take a seat next to Freak.

I pick my nails as the doctor clears his throat awkwardly as we wait for the rest of the psychos to fill in. What kind of name it Doctor Hand anyway? Are we in some sort of sick twisted porn flick? _Oh, examine me, doctor! Examine me good and hard and then you can do the rest of my multiple personalities!_

Relief washes over me when the door finally opens, the few minutes of silent waiting felt endless. A big tubby kid walks in wearing a pink shirt, followed by a boy in a green shirt and matching baseball cap. In walks Ike still crunching on an apple as Peach In Pink gabs at his side. When she sees me she instantly shuts up and narrows her eyes. I can tell straight away we are not going to get along. A blond boy walks in and finally as skinny brunette girl closes the door behind her.

Everyone sits and they all stare directly at me. I clench my jaw and stare right on back. This is just another strategy in the game, I will not back down.

I will not look weak.

* * *

_Wow. My writing is really rusty, to say the least, I am not too happy with this chapter. Maybe I should practice with a new story and then come back to this one, I don't want to mess this up! _

_Well, as always, I hope you enjoyed and your critique is welcome! :)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**M.**

She's really nothing special. Her ears have a slight point to them and her mouth is too small, never a good sign. So why can't I stop looking at her? She's already caught me like three times, raising an eyebrow or curling a corner of her mouth into a tiny smile, but I just can't stop. There is just something sort of fascinating about her, I want to know more.

Fuck, she just looked up again.

She probably thinks I'm a complete weirdo. Which I guess isn't really that far off from the truth, considering, you know. Why do I even care? I don't. Like I said, she's nothing special...

"Can you stop molesting her with your eyes for like two seconds?" I look over to Peach who has a disgusted look on her face. She would be so much prettier if she wasn't such a completely self-centered bitch.

I raise one eyebrow and smirk. "You jealous?"

Peach glares at me with her doll-like blue eyes. "As if I'd ever be jealous of that frumpy school girl. And if you think that I'd ever want that kind of attention from _you,_ then you are seriously disturbed."

"That's a shocker, it's so unlike you to turn down any attention. And don't even try to pretend your standards are too high for me. How old was that teacher of yours? Fifty? Sixty?" If looks could really kill, I'd have a dagger sticking out of my neck right about now.

Luckily, Sam jumps in before it gets too ugly. "Now, now, you two. Save the banter for the bedroom."

It's too easy. "Really Sam, just the bedroom? For you I thought it would be more like back seats, dressing rooms, janitor's closets, public bathrooms, behind bushes..." I tick them off on my fingers, but she punches me on the arm.

Sam laughs good-naturedly as she tosses her hair over her shoulder, "What can I say? I'm a hunter." Even Peach can't hold back a tiny giggle. For a complete nympho, Sam is still one of the coolest people I've ever met. Maybe that's why, maybe she has the right idea and everyone else in the world just needs to get laid more often. That wouldn't be such a bad world, if you ask me. Shit, everyone sure would be a lot less blue.

Ten minutes later I'm on my way to Nurse Daisy's office for my weekly evaluation. Every time I have one of these one on one meetings here it's like they expect me to be magically fixed. Not that I even need fixing, I still don't even know how they have enough shit on me to keep me in here. Staying here is just making me worse. Definitely more angry, but at _them._ What do they want me to do? Spill my guts then give them all hugs and thank them for finally putting together the pieces of some scared broken boy? Because I'm not broken. I'm fine. These idiots don't know anything! I clench my fists and keep walking.

I step into Nurse Daisy's office, she's sitting at her desk with her hands folded on top a thin stack of papers. Papers all about yours truly. "Take a seat, Marth. How has your day been?"

"Looking beautiful as always, Daisy. Don't mind if I do," I say as I slide into the chair opposite her. She hides it better than the other nurses, but the faintest hint of a blush covers her cheeks. It's rare when a woman, even one several years older than me, can resist my charm. Especially ones like Daisy, I mean, yeah I lay it on thick, but not as much as I've had to before. With her long auburn hair and perfect hourglass figure, pretending to be attracted to her is the only thing that isn't hard.

"Looking at the feedback from Dr. Hand, it seems you have been doing well in group. Great leader potential, he even says." Daisy says, scanning over the papers.

"Well, when a situation needs directing I do my best to step forward."

"Mhmm.." She scribbles something quickly then covers it with her hand as I try to slyly lean forward. "And how are your medications? Do you still feel they are producing the most efficient effects?"

"Just as they were last week." Which is completely true. I didn't take them last week either.

We go back and forth for another half hour, same old questions I hear every time I go in there. Am I eating well, how is my energy level, do I feel the need to massacre everyone in this place? I may have exaggerated on that last one, but you get the point. Finally, she let's me go. With group out of the way this morning and no special sessions scheduled, I'm free for the rest of the day. Well, as free as I'll get stuck in this crazy house. I might as well go to the community room, I think Roy might be in there too, unless he's still flossing.

I round the corner and whack into someone. "Hey, watch it!" I shout as I stumble back. Shit. Of course it's her. What is this? Some kind of god damn romantic comedy?

"I'm the lady, you watch where you're going!" She says indignantly. Zelda leans over to pick up the wooden hall pass Dr. Hand gives you when you need to go to the bathroom, or in most cases to just escape from group for a few minutes. Damn. They say they make the shirts so loose so that we're all equalized and non-sexualized, but all it did was let me get a good look down her chest. She's wearing a purple bra with little golden flowers and vines along the edge.

"Sorry, I was just surprised is all. My name's Marth. You just got here today, right?" I hold my hand out and she takes it without hesitation. A firm grip, I like that.

"Zelda. You're that guy from the cafeteria earlier." Crap. "And yes, I was forced in here this morning." She looks right into my eyes with her own fiery purple ones. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to group."

I nod as she lets go of my hand and brushes past me. I watch her walk down the hall, not a bad view either, until she's just about to round the corner when I shout out to her, "Hey Zelda! You look good in purple!"

I grin at the confused look on her face. Suddenly, her eyes widen and she goes crimson as she crosses her arms over her chest and stalks away.

* * *

_I like to call this one 'If Ya Know What I Mean' and I apologize (not really), but I just couldn't help myself. You would think I was a horny 14 year old boy with all the innuendos I tried to cram in here! :} But I hope you still liked it!_


	6. Chapter 6

_And she's at it again!_

Chapter Six

**S.**

She was shocked to see my eyes, they always are. I quickly bow my head and let my hair hide them. I should be used to this, the surprise often mixed with disgust or confusion, but no matter how many times it happens it always feels like a stab to the chest.

"Now, say hello, dear. This is your new roommate, Zelda." Nurse Daisy says as she pushes the girl towards me. Zelda waves and smiles, but her eyes are cold. A shiver runs down my spine, I wrap my arms around myself. "Well, Zelda, this is Sheik. I'm sure you two will get along fine."

Fine. Everything is always going to be just fine.

Nurse Daisy walks away, she didn't hear me muster up my courage to say hi to my new roommate. Zelda looks indifferent. I try to sneak glances at her, but she's staring at me. She's probably looking at my eyes. Ruby. Crimson. Scarlet. It's all the same, all the color of failure.

The color of blood.

Blood. So warm and sweet. I place a finger on my neck, I feel the soft pulse beating under my skin. Steady and as rhythmic as music. A beautiful melody of life and death, so close to the surface the tempo quickens, reminding me I'm alive. Breathe deep, it slows to a sad smooth tune once again.

Everything is just fine.

How I long for the symphony, the grand orchestra of shrieking instruments. The clash of noise, the sounds fighting against each other, weaving and twisting together into a fantastically indescribable masterpiece! The enchanting stream, the hot drips and the glorious splashes. Waves of my soul washing over me I want to laugh, I want to dance, I want to sing!

How easy it would be to slip the shining metal fork up my sleeve, gripped in my fist it looks so alluring. The tines gracefully narrowing to wonderfully sharp tips. I'm going to feel alive again!

Slowly, I move the fork to the edge of my sleeve. Moving mere millimeters at a time, the end of the handle barely brushes against my woolen sweater. Steady.

"Who's that blue-haired guy?" I snap back to reality, Zelda is looking right at me. I drop the fork, it clatters on the scratched tabletop. And that's where it will stay.

Everything is just fine.

* * *

_Hey guys! I know it's short, but I think this is what I'm going to do when I decide to jump to the more secondary characters. I hope you liked it, let me know what you think! :)_


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